Seattle Forward

Seattle Needs A Vision Reset . . . Quickly

Seattle needs a vision reset.

The mayor is not seeking re-election. The school superintendent has resigned. The police chief was pushed aside by the city council. The coronavirus pandemic has left us isolated. Downtown is desolate. Where and how we work is being transformed. Many essential workers are struggling mightily to keep up and pay the bills. Our infrastructure systems are inadequately maintained. First responders are overloaded and stretched thin. Campers have taken over many of our parks, greenspaces and sidewalks, preventing others from accessing them safely. Ideological and political divides are pushing us further and further into our dogmatic corners. Herein, opportunity presents itself.  

The urban theorist Richard Florida argues cities and surrounding regions will thrive as we move beyond the pandemic, just as they have following previous calamities: “Covid-19 is a once-in-a-century catastrophe, but it also hands us a once-in-a-century opportunity to rebuild communities to be

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.

April City Inside/Out: Council Edition

This month I joined Councilmembers Godden and Harrell for Brian Callanan's City Inside/Out Seattle Channel Show. We talked about minimum wage enforcement, filling the Council vacancy, encampments, and other topics. You can watch below:

Job Growth and the Minimum Wage

The increase in small business employment is highest in Washington State and San Francisco, two areas with the highest minimum wage in the country, according to Paychex, one of the country’s leading providers of payroll services.

The Paychex/IHS Small Business Jobs Index reports on employment nationwide among companies with fewer than 50 employees. You can read their full report here.

Here are two key highlights from the 12-month trend report through April:

• Washington State has the highest increase among states, up 2.22%, and leads all states in job growth.
• Seattle has the highest increase in the index among cities, up 2.66%, and is second only to San Francisco in job growth. (San Francisco has the highest city minimum wage in the country for major cities.)

The full report is packed with interesting infographics and stats. Check it out.

I co-sponsored legislation from Mayor Murray to raise the minimum wage in Seattle and explained why in a previous blog post. The Council is meeting this morning to discuss and possibly vote on this bill in committee. You can tune in on Seattle Channel 21 or at www.seattle.gov/councillive.

Why I’m Sponsoring the Minimum Wage Legislation

I am cosponsoring Mayor Murray’s minimum wage legislation because it’s time for cities to demonstrate bold and necessary leadership to address the stagnation of wages that has plagued our country for decades.

Why does this matter?

An economy where the wealthiest grow exceedingly richer while the poor and middle class experience a real decline in earning power rips apart our social fabric. The growing income and wealth inequality in our country is a dangerous trend.

As someone who started and grew a business for 20 years, I want to see individuals and businesses achieve success, provide meaningful work to their employees and produce goods and services that benefit their communities. I cringe at some of the rhetoric that demeans and disparages those who have achieved such success. But I also believe everyone should have a shot at that success and, today, for many reasons, a lot of people are being left out.

City Council in the Neighborhoods

Nicer spring weather means more people out around town, and the City Council is no exception.

As I wrote in January, the Council has prioritized taking its official business into the community and this month we are getting into neighborhoods more than ever. The Council is holding eight meetings outside of City Hall over the first two weeks of May.

I’ll be participating in two of these meetings next week and invite you to join me:

 

Public Hearing on the Mayor’s Minimum Wage Proposal
Tues, May 13, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Rainier Beach High School
8815 Seward Park Avenue South

Community Budget Workshop focusing on Public Safety and Civil Rights
Wed., May 14, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Youngstown Cultural Arts Center
4408 Delridge Way SW, Room 111

You can find a map of where I’ve been around town here.

Studying Up on the Minimum Wage

The Council will soon receive a recommendation from Mayor Murray to raise the minimum wage in Seattle. There is a growing consensus in our city and in civic discourse across the country that income and wealth inequality is one of the most pressing issues facing American society. (For quick visualizations of the issue, go to The New Yorker, The Economist, or this fascinating Youtube video.) Inequality and the resulting crisis of affordability are felt particularly strongly in urban areas.

A higher minimum wage is one tool that may help those at the bottom of the income scale and — in the absence of any action at the federal level — cities, counties and states across the country are considering raising their own minimum wage.

If you have been following the coverage about this, you may know that most of the debate has been about the details: What is the number? Is it phased-in over a certain period of time? Do we count just a basic wage or other forms of compensation too? How would the City enforce this?

The Council has been studying up on the issue and hearing from many different stakeholders in the community. If you have ten minutes, I encourage you to read this excellent review of current minimum wage laws and the policy questions facing the City in this debate prepared by Council staff.

To stay engaged with the Council as we move forward, you can sign up to receive emailed notifications of upcoming meetings of the Council’s Select Committee on Minimum Wage and Income Inequality.

Income Inequality Symposium

This Thursday there will be a 1-day conference about income inequality in Seattle at Seattle University. The all-day event is free, but registration is required. More information and a list of speakers are available here.

From the Mayor's press release:

The Symposium is a critical component of the Mayor’s efforts to address a cornerstone priority of his opportunity agenda: a meaningful increase in the compensation for Seattle workers.  There are three primary goals for the Symposium:

• Help inform ourselves of the rising income gap in our community and the complexities in addressing this issue,
• Establish Seattle as a national leader in developing strategies to address income inequality, and
• Serve as a model to catalyze a broader national movement to address the rising wealth gap in our country.

Returning to Kindergarten

Recently I returned to Stevens Elementary - where I attended kindergarten - to talk with the Seattle Channel's Josephine Cheng about preschool, the search for a new police chief, the minimum wage and more. Here's the latest installment of "Council Conversations":