A City Council Committee Is Expected to Vote on a Hugely Important Labor Bill Today: The bill, sponsored by Council Member Mike O'Brien, would allow drivers for apps like Uber and Lyft to collectively bargain with those companies. The bill is unprecedented at the city level and Uber (or another company) will definitely sue. If it passes at the committee, it will go to a full council vote in a couple weeks.
The Mayor Is Appointing the Principal of Rainier Beach High School to Oversee the City's New Preschool Program: Dwane Chappelle has been principal during important increases in graduation rates at Rainier Beach. If approved by the city council, Chappelle will head the Department of Early Education and Learning, which oversees the new pre-k program and the Families and Education Levy.
Ride the Ducks Vehicles Will Stop Using the Aurora Bridge: That's what an attorney for Ride the Ducks told state regulators a week after the fatal crash between a Ride the Ducks vehicle and a charter bus, the Seattle Times reports. Plus, state regulators said they would expand their investigation "by not only examining the safety of the vehicles, but also looking at maintenance and training."
State Supreme Court Says "Informal" Meetings Don't Violate Open Public Meetings Act: The court decided that a group of San Juan County Council members who met in private didn't violate open meetings laws because they didn't decide on any policy, the Associated Press reports. The Washington Coalition for Open Government isn't happy about that. "The purpose of the open meetings act is so that people can see not just the final vote, but to see the entire deliberative process," the president of that group told the AP. "People cannot truly see why certain actions were taken if they can't see the whole process."
By Now, You Know There Was a Mass Shooting at a Community College in Oregon Yesterday: Ten people are dead, including the shooter, and seven others are injured, according to The Oregonian. The shooter had three guns and, according to one witness, "asked about people's religions before he began firing." The sheriff in the county where the shooting occurred has been an open opponent of gun control and expanded background checks.
If You Haven't, You Need to Listen to President Obama's Response: Or read the transcript. "This is a political choice that we make to allow this to happen every few months in America," the president said, clearly exhausted of giving these speeches. "We, collectively, are answerable to those families who lose their loved ones because of our inaction."
The Story We All Wish Had Been the Only One Out of Oregon Yesterday: Recreational marijuana sales became legal there.
The Kettle Falls Five Three Will Be Sentenced Today: This is the family of medical marijuana growers in Eastern Washington who were prosecuted by the feds for growing pot. One of the five, a family friend, took a plea deal at the last second. Another, the patriarch of the family, died of cancer in August. Today, a federal judge in Spokane is expected to sentence the remaining three for growing fewer than 100 plants on their property.
The Office of Labor Standards Gave Out $1 Million in Grants for Labor Law Education: I've been complaining all summer about how long it's taken the OLS to hand out this money for educating workers and businesses about labor laws, including the new minimum wage. Most of these laws are enforced on a complaint-basis (and we know we don't do a great job of enforcing them that way), so it's important for workers to know how they're supposed to be treated so they can complain if they're getting ripped off. Anyway, good news! The city has selected which organizations will receive $1 million in funding for that type of education. The list is right here.
This Week on Blabbermouth: Stranger Editor Christopher Frizzelle is on the show to talk about his in-depth feature on an orca named Lolita and why she should be returned home now. Also on the show: Mark Putnam, director of All Home, about the latest plan to fight homelessness in King County. Listen here.
The University of Washington Human Rights Center is Suing the CIA: The suit accuses the CIA of "refusing to declassify and turn over documents relating to the U.S. role in El Salvador’s civil war and involvement in massacres by a retired Salvadorian colonel who was for a time the favorite of Americans," writes Joel Connelly at the P.I.
Kshama Sawant and Nick Licata Spoke at a Rundown Rental Building Yesterday: Residents there say they're living with mold, cockroaches, and broken appliances and still getting rent increases. Some tenants believe their rent is being increased so they'll move out and the landlord can renovate and charge higher rents, also known as "economic eviction," which the city can't do much about. Sawant and Licata are backing a bill that would try to address that.
The Ballard Urban Rest Stop Will Open This Month: After overcoming pushback from neighbors, the rest stop will offer homeless people a place to shower and do laundry and is will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays starting October 12.