Seattle Forward

Studied to Death: Council Votes 8-1 to Continue Tunnel Project

My colleague, Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, and pro-tunnel advocates holding a photograph in Council chambers earlier today showing 10 years worth of studies, reports, and technical reviews related to the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project.

(UPDATED February 28 at 4:48 p.m.) The City Council voted 8-1 (O'Brien voting against) this morning to proceed with the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project by approving contracts between City utilities and the State of Washington.  Our vote to override the Mayor’s veto of these agreements comes on the 10th anniversary of the Nisqually earthquake that damaged the viaduct.

For a good citizen perspective on why this project should proceed, read this opinion piece in today's Seattle Times.  After the jump, read Councilmember Nick Licata's perspective on all this.  Not usually known as a voice for downtown interests or mega spending, Councilmember Licata provides a fact-based, rational argument in favor of the tunnel and why the so-called surface/I-5/transit alternative isn't viable. 

Supporting Our Police Officers by Strengthening Public Trust and Confidence

We've had quite a season of controversy in our good city related to police incidents, including events captured on videotape that have shocked many of us.  The most serious was the unfortunate death of John T. Williams, shot and killed on a downtown street by one of our Seattle police officers. 

The accumulation of these incidents has damaged the public's trust and confidence in our officers and in the police department and maintaining public trust in the police is very important.  Keeping our neighborhoods safe for everyone is city's government number one priority.  This task is made more difficult when there is a lack of trust between citizens and the police officers employed to do the job.  I've written previously about my perspective on all this here and here.

I believe the Council needs to be more proactive on this issue. Our police officers deserve it and the people of Seattle demand it.  The longer we wait to seek specific and effective solutions, the greater the damage to police-community relationships.  So, today, the members of the Council's Public Safety and Education Committee sent a letter to Mayor McGinn, Chief Diaz, and the leaders of the two unions representing our police officers laying out 11 specific policy initiatives we believe will strengthen public trust and confidence in our police officers.  These policy initiatives will help the Police Department in accomplishing its mission of preventing crime, reducing the fear of crime and building peace in our city. 

You can read the letter here.

The Moral and Economic Imperative: Renewing and Enhancing the Families & Education Levy

Last Friday, the Council's special committee considering renewal of the Families and Education Levy took testimony from two middle school principals and a member of the citizen committee studied the effectiveness of the current Levy, among others.  It was compelling and, for me, emotional.  These good people are engaged every day with Seattle's schoolchildren.  They believe in them and want them to succeed.  Watch their testimony at the following links—

Jeff Clark, principal of Denny International Middle School in West Seattle.

Andhra Lutz, principal of Mercer Middle School in Beacon Hill.

Greg Wong, attorney for former public school teacher, member of the Citizen Advisory Committee that prepared the Levy proposal before the Council.

The Council will vote in March to place a renewal of the Families and Education Levy on the November ballot.  So far, the focus of our discussion has centered on the size of the tax measure—$231 million collected over seven years, or approximately $33 million per year.  This size of a levy will cost the owner of an average assessed value home in Seattle ($462,000) about $124 in the first year (2012), rising to about $126 in the last year (2018). 

Over the seven-year life of the Levy, the average homeowner will pay slightly more than $10 per month, or about the cost of a movie ticket at a Seattle theater. 

You can read my previous blog posts on this topic here. 

 

Viaduct Starts Coming Down

A giant claw took the first bites out of the Alaskan Way Viaduct last night.  The northbound on-ramp to the viaduct from First Avenue South, just north of Qwest Field, is being removed this weekend.  When this phase of the project is completed in April, all viaduct traffic will be diverted to a new surface street and the elevated viaduct from this point south will be taken down.

The current configuration of the southbound and northbound ramps is shown in the diagram below, followed by the new configuration scheduled to open in April.

Police Use of Deadly Force Finding

I want to acknowledge that the King County Prosecutor’s decision today leaves many people angry and disappointed. I’ve read the prosecutor’s decision and I understand his reasoning, but I fully appreciate that it won’t sit well with many in our city.

In determining criminal liability, Washington law gives great deference to the judgment of police officers in the use of deadly force. However, in contrast to state law, Seattle Police Department policies regarding the use of deadly force are more restrictive. Now that the prosecuting attorney has made a decision about criminal charges based on state law, the Chief of Police must determine if Officer Birk’s actions met the higher standard of Seattle’s policies. Chief Diaz should complete his review and let all of us know his decision as quickly as possible.

Based on the findings of the police department’s Firearms Review Board that the use of deadly force in this specific incident was not justified, I don’t believe Officer Birk should remain as a Seattle police officer.

Here is the King County Prosecuting Attorney's decision to decline prosecution: Download 2011 02 16 KCPAO Decision

Here is the SPD Firearms Review Board report: Download 2011 02 16 FRB 10-03

I've written on the culture of the police department here.

Facing the Facts on Education

Note: There will be a public hearing on the proposed renewal of the Families and Education Levy this Thursday, February 17 at 5:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall (Fifth Avenue between James and Cherry Streets). Please join us.

 

There’s an elephant in the room that we don’t like to talk about: the widespread inequity in Seattle Public Schools.

 

While many public school students receive an excellent education in our city, others are not so lucky. I like to say “facts are friendly,” but that doesn’t always make them easy to hear or act upon.

Mayor McGinn and the History of Mayoral Vetoes

Mayor McGinn has declared that he will veto Council legislation likely to be adopted today that will allow us to protect our interests as the state proceeds with construction of the downtown deep-bore tunnel.  If he follows through, the veto will be the second of his first 14 months in office.

There have been eight mayoral vetoes in the past 20 years, McGinn's will be the ninth.  In the past 20 years, the Council has overridden a Mayor's veto twice, five times the Council has sustained a Mayor's veto, and one time the Council did not reconsider.

Here's the list of previous mayoral veteos:

Council Bill 108078 related to city retirement policies.  Adopted by Council July 9, 1990; Mayor's veto overridden on August 6, 1990.

Council Bill 113302 related to teen dancing restrictions.  Adopted by Council on August 21, 2000; Mayor's veto sustained on September 18, 2000.

Council Bill 113803 related to public restrooms and automatic public toilets.  Adopted by Council on August 20, 2001; Mayor's veto overridden on September 10, 2001.

Council Bill 113818 related to parking regulations.  Adopted by Council November 5, 2001; Mayor's veto sustained on December 10, 2001.

Council Bill 114147 related to transition housing.  Adopted by Council on June 24, 2002; Mayor's veto sustained on July 22, 2002.

Council Bill 114183 related to a contract land rezone.  Adopted by Council on June 24, 2002; Mayor's veto sustained on July 22, 2002.

Council Bill 115986 related to the regulation of nightlife.  Adopted by Council on September 17, 2007; Mayor's veto never reconsidered by Council.

Ordinance 116807 related to regulation of public conduct, specifically aggressive solicitation.  Adopted by Council on April 19, 2010; Mayor's veto sustained on May 24, 2010.

Personal Reflections on Seattle Police and Our City

Tonight at City Hall, I’m part of a discussion about police accountability with the Mayor, the Chief of Police, police union leadership and community representatives. C. R. Douglas of the Seattle Channel will moderate the discussion.  It’s free and open to the public.  Please join us if you can at 7 p.m. in the Bertha Knight Landes room on the main floor of City Hall, Fifth Avenue and James Street.

I served as a Seattle police officer and detective in the 1970s, admittedly a very long time ago. Policing has changed dramatically since my time on the street.  We didn't have portable radios in my first year as a patrol officer, DNA-based investigations were a figment of our imagination, and crime scene specialists were only seen on Hill Street Blues.

But, one thing I witnessed every day way back then was the dedication and commitment of police officers and detectives to serve our city with honor and distinction.  I still witness that today.  The women and men of the Seattle Police Department have half-a-million contacts with people every year; almost all of these encounters are handled professionally and we never hear a peep about them.

In fact, a recent report from the police department showed that in 2009 Seattle officers used force at a rate far below the national rate—0.12% compared to 0.88% of all police-public encounters.  Even when these encounters resulted in an arrest, Seattle officers used force to effect the arrest in only 2.4% of the incidents.

But despite the reality that most of our officers do exemplary work on our behalf, something is clearly wrong.  Recent incidents have tested public confidence in our police department, to say the least. Many wonder if there is a larger, more systemic or cultural problem in the police department. It is this concern that I want to address here.