Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes is butting heads with the city's controversial police union, once again.

Reached by phone this afternoon, Holmes says he will file a lawsuit in King County Superior Court that asks a judge to overturn a decision made yesterday that favors the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG). That decision, made by an independent arbiter at SPOG's request, ruled that the city must redact the names of officers from all records requests—even records about internal misconduct investigations when those charges are sustained.

"The arbiter is incorrect on the Public Records Act requirements," Holmes says. Left unchallenged, the ruling would force the the city to make a "Hobson's Choice" between violating public records laws (that require naming officers) or violating the city's collective bargaining agreement with SPOG, he says. "It's important that the city gets a ruling that shows that these are properly [covered] under the Public Record Act or we will not be protected." Holmes contends that state transparency laws trump any labor deals with unions.

Here's one example of how the arbiter's ruling seems absurd in practice:

After Seattle Police Chief John Diaz announced that he would suspend Detective Shandy Cobane, the officer charged in the infamous "Mexican Piss" case, Cienna filed a request for the case report from the Office of Professional Accountability (the department's internal investigation report). The department, knowing this is in arbitration, refused to release it (waiting for this dispute to resolve)—even though we know the accusations against Cobane were sustained and we know the penalty. The public ought to be able to see, you know, the report on the case.

In contrast, SPOG president Rich O'Neill announced last night, "I am pleased with the arbitrator’s decision but also bewildered by the actions of the city." He says labor contracts from 2008 require the names of officers be redacted from all records (a reading that Holmes disagrees with).

O'Neill says something else interesting: The matter "could be settled by simply sitting down with us and negotiating." What do they want to negotiate? I'm betting more money.