Seattle Forward

Mayor's Budget Recommendations

The Mayor is presenting his budget recommendations for 2009-2010 to the Council today at 2 p.m.  Councilmember Bruce Harrell and I get to escort the Mayor into our chambers . . . we're the rookies, so we get the honor. 

After the Mayor's address this afternoon, the Council will begin a 60-day marathon of review, analysis, and modifications. For better or worse, my primary committee (Public Safety, Human Services, and Education) will focus on the following budget categories: Human Services, Domestic Violence, Criminal Justice Contracted Services (e.g., public defenders, etc.), Fire, Law, Municipal Court, Police, Family and Education Levy, and Gang Violence. 

I will be watching closely for any proposed tax or fee increases, whether core services are fully funded, and whether human services assistance funds are protected.  Thankfully, the city's economic condition is not nearly as dire as that of King County or the state of Washington, but these are uncertain times and a prudent and conservative financial management mindset is clearly the order of the day.

Read details about the Council's budget process, including schedules, glossary of terms, worksheets, and more.  You can watch the Mayor's budget address on Seattle Channel 21 or online at the Seattle Channel. 

You can share your thoughts on the city budget via email at [email protected].   

Protecting Children from Prostitution History

About every other day the searing mental images formed when I read this summer's special report on
children involved in street prostitution in Seattle pop back into my mind.  It is a part of the city's underbelly that is shameful, ugly, and horrific for the kids involved.

We are taking steps to help children escape, such as the proposal to establish safe housing with full wraparound care and treatment services. The King County Council will vote on October 6 on the final funding decision.

This past week the Council removed financial penalties from criminal sanctions imposed on those involved in prostitution, but kept them in place—in fact, doubled the financial penalty to $1,000—for "johns," the exploiters of women and men involved in prostitution who enter diversion programs.

We must do more.  New York just enacted a law that removes all criminal penalties from children involved in prostitution and instead provides them with safe-house escape and a full array of social services. Read the New York Times story here and the editorial support here. 

Pink Tents Vs. Long-Term Solutions

A handful of council members gathered around a television set yesterday afternoon and watched as Seattle police and other city workers dismantled the so-called "Nickelsville" tent city near the First Avenue South Bridge.  From what we saw on TV it seems the journalist who wrote that the police seemed "bored" got it right. 

But, the larger, public policy question wasn't answered by the pink tent city.  What to do about the continuing, and some say growing, problem of homelessness? 

As a city, we spend about $40 million a year on the problem of homelessness.  Some of this money comes from the federal government and is "passed through" the city bureaucracy, nonetheless it represents a significant investment.

We don't have to make this effort; it's discretionary on our part. No one is forcing us to deal with homelessness, and one could even argue that other expenditures—like police and fire services—are actually more important and certainly not discretionary. But this debate misses the point.  Caring for the homeless and seeking long-term solutions is part of Seattle's soul. It's an expression of who we are as a people, a measure of our values. 

But are we doing enough? Are we doing the right thing? 

I've been thinking about these questions a lot lately, especially as we enter the fall budget decision period and as we begin to consider the renewal of the housing levy scheduled for next year.  I'm still processing, and I certainly don't have answers just yet, but I am beginning to think we need to realign or refocus our efforts.

The 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness is primarily focused on long-term, capital-intensive solutions.  That's good.  We need more low-income and workforce permanent housing.  Our emergency shelter programs are fairly well-developed and effective, although I believe we need a greater number of emergency shelter beds.  (The city has recently opened additional emergency shelter beds and there are plans to do even more.) 

The area where we might need to do more is short-term, transition housing, not emergency shelter and not permanent housing, but the "in between" housing needs of individuals.  Some call it "housing on demand" or "housing first" strategies.  I'm hoping the city can explore many more partnerships with apartment owners and others who can, on very short notice, offer housing for six months, a year, or even a longer.  The stability of having your "own" place cannot be denied.  Having an apartment—even just a room—to call your own is a powerful first step toward self-sufficiency.  I believe programs that can truly offer "housing on demand" are urgently needed. I hope to spark some discussion on this topic in the coming weeks and months. 

Now, about mental health treatment on demand, or drug treatment on demand . . . those are topics for another day. 

Pike Place Senior Center Lunch

Council President Richard Conlin, Councilmember Bruce Harrell, and I had lunch today at the Pike Place Senior Center.  That's Al to my right.  I'm talking to Larry. Most of the guys at my table were eager to get through lunch so they could move to the recreation room and play pool. 

The city helps fund the center.  Council staff delivered food to the center's food bank that had been collected at City Hall over the past three weeks. 

Safer Streets Initiative Advances

The Council-generated 12-point Safer Streets Initiative (SSI) is moving along with passage this week by the King County Council's budget committee of funding recommendations for two special pilot projects we have proposed to address particularly urgent needs.  County Councilmember Bob Ferguson has been especially helpful with his support and guidance in navigating the County process. (Seattle's resolution to the   County Council supporting these projects is here.)

One project will create a joint police-mental health professional crisis intervention response team to respond to certain incidents where the combined power and expertise of the team is needed (SSI Step #1). Modeled on similar units in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Vancouver, B. C., this special unit would be created in partnership with King County and would be primarily available to respond in Seattle's West Precinct (downtown core) where approximately 125 to 130 incidents occur each week involving   individuals with mental health issues. This project would use $500,000 in county mental health and drug dependency funds over two years.       

The second project (SSI Step #2) would create safe housing and full, 24-7 specialized care services for children involved in street prostitution who want to escape that experience. The need for this type of housing and care services became clear when a city-funded study of child prostitution in Seattle/King County revealed that as many as 300-500 children may be involved. This project would use $960,000 in county funding. Read The Seattle Times' editorial this morning.

Mayor Nickels has announced that his 2009-2010 budget proposal will return police officers to some middle schools in the city's south end (SSI Step #8), a move strongly supported by the school district.       

The Mayor's budget is also expected to maintain the city's commitment to hire additional police officers through 2012 (SSI Step #5).

The SSI also calls for more "assertive" policing, especially focused on open-air drug markets, social disorder, and other quality-of-life street crime (SSI   Step #6). There is no doubt an expression of Council intent is needed on this issue, especially when many question whether or not the Council will provide the political and policy support police officers doing their jobs on the street will be watching for.   

Assertive policing is based on the premise that cops matter, that crime can be prevented and social disorder decreased when officers are present and engaged in proactive problem solving. Assertive policing has been successfully used in other U.S. cities.

If you doubt this approach to policing, read this article in The Seattle Times on how emphasis patrols (presence) and proactive policing has cleaned up the notorious Pike-Pine corridor downtown or this article on special police and prosecutor focus on high impact juvenile offenders.       

Read more about SSI here.

Serving the Common Good: Fort Lawton

The Council voted 9-0 this week to submit a plan to the federal government that would allow the city to redevelop the soon-to-be-closed Army reserve base at Fort Lawton adjacent to Discovery Park in the Magnolia neighborhood. If approved by the Department of Defense and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, 28 acres of Army property would be used for park land and for up to 216 units of housing, including both market-rate units and a maximum of 85 units dedicated to low-income, formerly homeless individuals.

Some in the Magnolia community have objected to this plan either because they want Fort Lawton incorporated into Discovery Park, because they object to low-income housing in their neighborhood, or because they believe the proposed density of the new development is too high. Others in Magnolia have worked with the city to refine the proposal more to their liking and now support it.       

I've watched the public process carefully, read most all of the plan documents, and listened to hours of public testimony about the proposed plan. The plan we adopted on Monday is a good one. It correctly balances the need for low-income housing with wise development philosophy, resulting in a new mixed neighborhood where nearly two-thirds of new homes will be market-rate. It limits, consistent with city policy, the percentage of extremely low-income units to less than 20% of the Census Block. And, it is socially equitable. Every neighborhood in Seattle needs to do its part to help address our pressing need for   workforce and low-income housing. This plan shows Magnolia is stepping up.

Serving the Common Good: Magnuson Park

Earlier this week, the Council's Parks and Seattle Center Committee voted to recommend two public-private partnerships to the full Council to repair and renovate former U. S. Navy structures at the north end of Magnuson Park in northeast Seattle.

One partnership will allow Arena Sports to renovate Hanger 27 for use as a sports facility and for community meetings. The other partnership will allow repair and renovation of Building 11 (adjacent to Hanger 27) to house Sail Sand Point, other water-related activities, small restaurants, and limited office space. The partnerships guarantee continued public access to the north shore of Lake Washington and provide several public benefits, including youth athletic scholarships and public meeting space. But the greatest public benefit is renovation of the two buildings which otherwise would be boarded up or torn down.       

I strongly support this type of public-private partnership because it allows the city to accomplish what we otherwise couldn't because of limited funds. These partnerships serve the common good by allowing thousands of individuals and families to engage in water-related activities, play indoor sports like soccer and lacrosse year-around or just enjoy a walk along the beach. These partnerships are pro-park, pro-family, and reflect wise stewardship. They will ensure that these facilities can continue to be used for community and recreational use.

The full Council will vote on both of these public-private partnerships next Monday or on October 6.

Hope: Morning, Noon and Night

I had a great day today! 

The day started at Lake Washington Girls Middle School near 18th and East Cherry Street where I had a discussion with a class of 8th graders about public corruption, ethics in government, character, and American campaign tactics.  Wow!  Those girls were impressive.  Their questions were focused and cut right to the heart of the issues.  They invited me as an elected officials after reading Robert Penn Warren's All The King's Men, a novel loosely based on Gov. Huey Long of Louisiana.   

The girls were from across Seattle.  Engaging with them was a measure of hope—they were bright, very aware of contemporary issues and problems, and well read. The last question of our hour together was right off the front page of the morning newspaper:  "What do you think of the government taking over AIG?"  I admitted I didn't know enough to answer.

At Noon I met with a group of business leaders, large and small businesses affiliated with the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce.  I introduced them to the Council-generated Safer Streets Initiative, then answered questions on a wide range of topics; from street crime, to taxes, to the competitive economic climate in Seattle compared to other cities in the region, social services and homelessness, and police staffing.  These leaders care deeply about our city and are engaged to make a difference.

Tonight, I joined over a hundred south Seattle residents in a Rainier Valley church to hear Mayor Nickels describe his youth violence initiative.  A poignant moment came near the end of the Mayor's remarks when he recited the names of the four teenage boys murdered in Seattle earlier this year and asked us to observe a moment of silence in their memory.

Community leaders, members of Youth180, police commanders, including the Chief of Police, parents, church leaders, and school officials crammed into the church to, as police Director John Hayes said, "get positive about our kids and crime in our streets."  The meeting is another in a series being held across the south end of Seattle to address youth violence, crime in general, and neighborhood feelings that street crime is getting out of control in some areas.  My colleague, Councilmember Sally Clark also attended.

It struck me that the kids I met in the morning and the kids I met at night were very similar in so many ways: smart, motivated, wanting to do the right thing, excited about their future.  Yes, they might attend different schools and face different economic challenges, but they all had aspirations, they all had hopes and dreams. 

The people in Rainier Valley are like those in my neighborhood or in Ballard or West Seattle.  They are worried about their children, about the direction of our city, and about their neighborhood.  They yearn to know that their kids will be safe and have opportunities to succeed.  And by showing up tonight they were demonstrating their commitment to work for a better city.  Hope was the operative word tonight.

Tonight also reminded me that what happens in Rainier Valley (or any neighborhood) has a direct impact on me and you.  We may be a city of different neighborhoods--one of our strengths--but when it comes to our children and their futures we are one city.  And I think we get that.  That's the hope I'm clinging to.      

More on Bags

We will know in a day or two whether the citizen initiative to repeal the green fee will qualify for the ballot, but here is an article that helps put this issue into perspective. 

I've written previously on this topic here and here.

Building Permits Soar

July and August saw a surge in building permit "intake value," the financial value assigned to a new project seeking city approval.  The total "intake value" for July and August was $991 million, compared to the January-June "intake value" of $1 billion.  In 2007, the city issued $3.1 billion worth of permits; 2008 is on a pace that could easily reach $2.9 billion.  This is good news as much as it relates to hints about long-term economic conditions.  But, it also possibly suggests that growth and density will continue to be issues.