Seattle Forward

Superior Court Upholds Gun Violence Tax

This afternoon King County Superior Court Judge Palmer Robinson issued an order upholding the City’s gun violence tax. A copy of the ruling is available here.

We established the gun violence tax as a legitimate and appropriate way to raise revenue for gun safety research and prevention programs. The NRA and its allies always oppose these common sense steps to shine light on the gun violence epidemic. They have blocked funding for basic gun safety research at the federal level for decades. But in Seattle it is different. Judge Robinson saw through the NRA’s distorted efforts to put gun industry profits ahead of public safety.

Approved in August, the gun violence tax would require firearms dealers to pay $25 for every firearm sold and $0.05 or $0.02 for every round of ammunition sold, depending on the caliber of ammunition. The City Budget Office estimates the gun violence tax will raise between $300,000 and $500,000 a year to be used for gun violence research and prevention programs.

Supporting the Muslim Community, a Voice for Drivers, Labor Standards, and More

Yesterday was the last Full Council meeting of 2015 and it was jam packed: 52 agenda items, 3 ½ hours of deliberations.

We started with a resolution expressing our support for Seattle’s Muslim community in the wake of increasing anti-Muslim hate rhetoric and violence. The City of Seattle welcomes and affirms our Muslim residents, both native born and immigrant, and recognizes the enormous value they add to the cultural and economic life of this city. When we respond from fear, we respond from weakness. We all want our community to be safe, but fear does not lead to safety.

The Council then passed landmark legislation that allows drivers of for-hire vehicles to collectively join together and negotiate better working conditions, making Seattle the first city to take this step. We must continue to find ways to protect workers in the new gig economy where the traditional employer-employee relationship is less prevalent.

We approved a thick bill (146 pages) improving and standardizing the enforcement processes for our local labor standards. We debated nuances while updating the Council’s rules and procedures. We made a small change to our business licenses that allows us to more easily revoke these for unlawful businesses. We designated the P-I Globe as a landmark and we created a new Arts & Cultural District in the Central Area.

It was a full, productive meeting. It was also the final Full Council meeting of three of my colleagues, Nick Licata, Jean Godden, and Tom Rasmussen. Between the three of them, we are saying goodbye to 42 years of collective service on the Council. As we get excited about the incoming councilmembers, I will miss the wisdom, dedication, friendship, and passion for service of my exiting colleagues.

The Seattle Preschool Program Starts Strong

My Council committee received an encouraging report this morning about the launch of the Seattle Preschool Program. Voters approved this program with overwhelming support last year and the City had an ambitious timeline to open the first classrooms this fall.

The City’s Department of Education and Early Learning told us this morning how many kids have enrolled and who they are. You can view the slides here.

Here are a few of my key takeaways:

• The City has enrolled 288 kids in 15 classrooms, exceeding our goal of 280 kids in 14 classrooms.
• All eligible 4 year olds who applied have been offered a seat in one of this year’s classrooms.
• The program has done an excellent job in reaching a racially and economically diverse group of families across all of its classrooms.
• More than three-quarters of this year’s participants are below 300% of the Federal Poverty Line (about $73,000 for a family of four), which means they get a full tuition subsidy.
• Nearly half of the children in the program come from families that would not have qualified for the Federal Head Start program but still qualify for free tuition in the City’s program. Valuable tuition relief is being provided to these working families.