Tim Burgess Gets Endorsed By a Group of Social Justice Advocates: “His leadership on justice issues has made Seattle a better place for all of our children, for the immigrant community, and for our most vulnerable neighbors,” the group wrote in an open letter yesterday. “As importantly, we value the way he leads. Time and time again he has not only listened, but he has sought us out, to hear the needs and concerns of our communities.” The group specifically calls out Burgess’s work on a list of issues including the Nurse-Family Partnership, Pre-K, and his recent gun tax. Among the signers: Eight members of the city’s Community Police Commission, State Sen. Pramila Jayapal (who’s both an Ed Murray ally and a Kshama Sawant endorser), and representatives from the Downtown Emergency Services Center, the Urban League, and Solid Ground.
Tim Burgess Finally Has an Answer About Campaign Finance Reform: All campaign season, Burgess has been dodging the question of whether he supports Honest Elections Seattle’s plan to create “democracy vouchers” and lower maximum campaign contributions. At a candidate forum, last night, we finally got an answer. There, Burgess said—for the first time publicly that I’ve seen—that he’s endorsing the measure.
Tim Burgess’s Recent Signature Issue, the Gun and Ammo Tax, Is Facing a Lawsuit: And the city is ready to fight back. The tax of $25 per gun and $.05 per bullet has been challenged by the National Rifle Association and other groups. City Attorney Pete Holmes is now getting pro bono help from international law firm Steptoe and Johnson. “The NRA doesn’t get to come into our city and tell our elected officials that they lack the authority in Washington state to tax businesses that sell a product that, when misused, so dearly costs our constituents, most of them young people,” Holmes says in a statement.
The ACLU Wants to Change State Law About Prosecuting Cops for Killings: This one is not Tim Burgess-related, but is really important. This week brought the news that the three Pasco officers who killed a man throwing rocks in February will not face criminal charges. Part of the reason: Prosecutors cannot charge officers for using deadly force without malice. The ACLU of Washington wants to change that rule. The organization says in a press release: “Prosecutors should not be limited to bringing charges only in cases where they believe that the officer acted with ‘malice.’ Officers should be permitted to use deadly force only when they make a reasonable assessment that they or others are at serious risk of death or severe bodily harm and that there is no other available means to prevent death or severe bodily harm.”
The Mayor Introduced Legislation to Expand the Multifamily Tax Exemption Program: The MFTE program gives developers tax breaks to set aside affordable units. Bob Young at the Seattle Times reports on the program’s “tarnished history” and the city’s promises that this new version will be better.
Teachers Are Still On Strike: “Negotiations between the school district and the teachers union remain broken, and mediators are meeting with both sides,” Sydney reports.
But Educators Won’t Be on the Picket Line Today: Instead, they are planning a day of service to honor the anniversary of 9/11.
“I Was Incredulous, Then Relieved, and Then Irritated.” Go read this guest editorial from a 14-year-old student whose teachers are on strike.
There’s a Benefit Concert for Teachers Sunday Night: 5:30 pm Sunday at the Neptune featuring Kimya Dawson, Aesop Rock, and others. Suggested donation at the door is $5.
City Council Chambers Were Full Last Night for a Forum about the Strike Hosted by Council Member Kshama Sawant: “This is a workers’ issue. It is also a women’s rights issue” because most teachers are women, Sawant said of the request from the district to add another 30 minutes to the school day. “It’s like asking women to work for free.”
What Are the Highest Paid Jobs in Seattle? The Puget Sound Business Journal has the answers, but makes you click through an annoying slideshow to get to the No. 1 spot. I’ll just tell you: It’s surgeons, who make about $228,000 a year in Seattle. Computer programers are at No. 25 with a $119,000 average salary.
Airport Workers Are Striking Too: They’ll picket near baggage claim from 4 am to 4 pm. “Dozens of baggage handlers, cabin cleaners and others who work for Menzies Aviation at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport are expected to walk off their jobs Friday, protesting what they call unfair labor practices and demanding to be paid a $15 minimum wage,” reports the Seattle Times. “Menzies is a contractor for Alaska Airlines, providing ramp agents, baggage handlers, and other such service workers.”
ICYMI: Alaska Airlines Wants the State Supreme Court to Reverse Its Decision Upholding SeaTac’s $15 Minimum Wage: Alaska Airlines tells KPLU it doesn’t know “how tenants and vendors can comply with the Supreme Court decision” and wants the case to go back to a lower court. The Port of Seattle has joined in that request.
“At This Point It Is Clear That You Don’t Have a Legal Strategy. You Have a Strategy of Delay for Delay’s Sake.” Says Working Washington in an open letter to Alaska Airlines.
Meanwhile, in New York: Governor Andrew Cuomo is calling for a statewide $15 minimum wage phased in in New York City by 2018 and statewide by 2021.
How Do Washington Residents Think Race Relations Are Going? According to a new KCTS 9/Elway Poll, 86 percent of those asked said race relations in their own community were “good,” but just 43 percent said they were good nationally. Fifty-six percent “believe that whites and people of color are treated equally by the police in their community” (60 percent of the respondents live in predominantly white neighborhoods). All the results are right here.
